Rachel Tweddle - Chief Executive Officer

I began my career working with the community when I ran an after school club in my hometown of Leyburn, North Yorkshire 20 years ago. This was a great experience and inspired me to plan a career with children and young people on completing my uni degree 5 years later. By this time i had moved to County Durham and therefore began my career with the Local Authority as an Education Welfare Officer, Connexions Adviser, Youth Worker and then Teacher.

I was lucky enough to have to great mentors at Staindrop School, who encouraged me to train as a Secondary Teacher. All the while I continued to work in the community through Joe at TCR and Dianne Spark at UTASS. I also spent a few years at the YMCA in Barnard Castle. All of this experience led to me taking the leap from formal to informal education in 2013, not forgetting a brief stint managing Oxfam in the town for 12 months!

I’ve not looked back since leaving formal education and absolutely love working in the voluntary sector. I still keep my hand in the youth work, delivering the Duke of Edinburgh Award from the Hub, which always helps to remind me what youth and community work is all about.

I’ve worked hard alongside the staff team to ensure that the Hub is sustainable and a good quality resource for the region. We are getting there and our profile is constantly rising. Managing a charity today can be tough – nothing can be taken for granted, the climate is forever changing and I have to be very enterprising in my approach to management.

The effort is all worth it when we get a great review or feedback, and even a rare negative one pushes me to improve our service further!!

"I began volunteering for Teesdale Community Resources in 2012 not long after The Hub was established. I would come down every week and check the PPE for the canoeing and high ropes so they were ready for any sessions. Eventually I was offered a part time job, running sessions and groundskeeping and general building management.

As The Hub has become busier and busier and our staff team more specialised, it has made sense to do my job full time (even then I struggle to fit it in!).

It has been wonderful working for Teesdale Community Resources all of these years. I feel that I have gained an incredible amount of experience and many qualifications, which has helped me develop professionally.

A major highlight so far has been to run activity days for rainbows, brownies and guides annually which has now gained the name of Hubabaloo. Working with up to 90 children through out the day is an amazing, if not exhausting experience!"

After gaining Grade 8 with Distinction in Piano and Clarinet with ABRSM, I received my Diploma in Music Theatre at Newcastle College in 2002.  After touring the UK with BBC's Jazz Musician of the Year, I trained with the Yamaha Music School and became one of only a handful of qualified teachers in the UK.

 I have been teaching for 25 years and taught thousands of students at either a 'fun based', or for the more studious, graded exam level.

After leaving Teesdale in my late teens, I gained a recording contract in Bratislava, Slovakia which involved appearing on numerous Central European Radio and TV programmes.

More recently I represented the North East on BBC World Music Day.

After living abroad and in London for many years, I returned to Barnard Castle and gained work at the Hub.  

I am enormously lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world. My passion lies in both music and teaching.  I can’t imagine doing anything else. The Hub is a great facility for all ages, and I am proud to be the Manager of the Music Department here.

I started the Halcyon Singers Choir over a year ago and recently was delighted to conduct the choir in the beautiful Durham Cathedral in front of an audience of over 800 people.

Graham has been volunteering at the TCR Hub for nearly 4 years and enjoys caring for the beautiful, lush grounds surrounding the Lake and Hub building.  Having worked for the army for 24 years, Graham is rewarded by seeing the grounds look neat and tidy whilst employing eco-friendly gardening methods in order to encourage the wildlife and the diverse eco-system.

Graham looks after his own garden and allotment, which are immaculate, and volunteers time each day at the Hub.  He recalls that when the TCR Hub first opened the grounds were mainly nettles but with persistent hard work the grounds are now a credit to Graham and to the Hub, supporting a wealth of activities which visitors can enjoy.

If you have any time to spare and feel that you could offer to help look after the grounds of the Hub, or, if you would like to volunteer in an alternative role, please contact Rachel on 01833 690150.  We would love to hear from you!